Acronym: PIXEL
Duration: May 2018 – September 2021
Project Partners: The PIXEL project (Port IoT for Environmental Leverage) was executed by a consortium of 15 partners from 7 European countries, combining expertise from port authorities, research institutions, and technology providers.
Project Overview:
The PIXEL project (Port IoT for Environmental Leverage) is a H2020 initiative designed to reduce the environmental footprint of ports by leveraging IoT, enabling green growth in surrounding cities. It developed the Port Environmental Index (PEI), a quantitative, real-time metric for tracking and optimizing emissions from vessels, terminals, and cargo operations.
Key Outputs:
Port Environmental Index (PEI): A single, standardized quantitative metric that aggregates real-time data on air quality, noise, energy, and waste to assess a port’s environmental footprint.
- PIXEL IoT Platform: An open-source, interoperable platform that breaks down data silos by integrating information from port authorities, terminal operators, and city sensor networks.
- Operational Management Dashboard: A centralized interface providing real-time visibility into port operations and resource usage.
- Predictive Algorithms: Tools for forecasting vessel arrival/departure times (ETA/ETD), energy demand, and potential traffic bottlenecks.
- Modeling & Simulation Tools: Simulations of port processes used to test optimization strategies before physical implementation.
Expected Impacts:
- Environmental Footprint Reduction: Targeted decrease of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 15–20% through more efficient resource management.
- Operational Efficiency: Lowered infrastructure and operational costs by optimizing cargo flows and reducing idling times for vessels and trucks.
- Improved Port-City Integration: Enhanced collaboration between ports and their surrounding urban areas to mitigate noise, traffic, and pollution.
- Enhanced Energy Profile: Increased uptake of renewable energy sources and improved energy efficiency across port terminals.
- Standardized Benchmarking: The PEI allows ports of different sizes to compare their environmental performance using a common methodology for the first time.
More information: https://pixel-ports.eu/
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 769355.